Online Blackjack School - lesson 8

The True Count in a multi-deck game is relatively easy to do. In a single deck game the True Count is a little more difficult to arrive at since the deck that is left is a fraction of one. In other words the divisor will be .75, .66, .50 or .25 and this is a bit more difficult in the head and not using pencil and paper. Some of the fractions are easier to do than others, but the smart player just practices so that the answer becomes second nature.

Each increase of one in the True Count on the plus side adds to the player’s edge by 0.5. In a six-deck game the deck starts out in favor of the house at about 0.40. So just an increase of one in the True Count means that the house edge is put into neutral. An increase of two or three makes the player a favorite.

When the edge moves to the player’s side of the percentages, the bet is increased in units of one or more but never more than a small percentage of the total stake the player has at their disposal. If the True Count were to reach three, the total bet on a $3000 stake would be 0.78 percent of the stake. The percentage stays there or lower based on the True count number. At one it is zero percent of the stake. At a True Count of 2 the percentage is 0.38 percent of the total stake. As you can see this is a very small percentage of the stake even though the edge is in your favor. The biggest bet is not even close to $30. The reason that this is the way to play is the house can even win when the edge is in the player’s favor.
The small bets are easy to overcome if they are losses. One oversized losing bet on a hunch or feeling can ruin a well thought out betting plan. Always remember this is percentage play and not by feel or an itch in your left ear. It is the consistent practice of betting correctly and playing correctly based on the True Count that wins in the long run. Spectacular bets are fun and look great to the game watchers, but they are hard to get back when they lose. Do not take a good situation for the player and give the house that kind of break. Stay with the percentage plays and over time they will grow the bankroll. Playing this way is more like the way the casino plays against most players, which lets the small edge work in the casino’s favor over the long haul. Your hard work in counting the deck and knowing the basic strategy cold reverses the positions of you and the casino. It is this reversal of positions that the casino cannot abide. The casinos are not into playing games where they do not have an edge. They will do what it takes to keep their edge at all times, including shuffling the deck after every hand against a card counter. This hurts the casino temporarily but the hatred of card counters is almost visceral by live casinos.